Railway-rail joint.



0. P. LANCASTER.

RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

, 11 1,02 1 ,200, Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

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G. P. LANCASTER. RAILWAY RA'IL JOINT. APPLICATION IILBD'OOT. so, 1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES P. LANCASTER, 0F MARION, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH TOWILLIAM M. CORY AND ONEFOURTH TO OTIS L. HARRIS, OF MARION, INDIANA.

RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 30, 1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Serial No. 657,477.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES P. LANCAS- TER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Grantand State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Railway Rail Joints; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to improvements in railway rail joints.

One object of the invention is to improve the construction andarrangement of joint shown in United States Letters-Patent, No.

916,880, granted to me March 30, 1909, whereby a stronger and moredurable joint is formed.

Another object is to provide a railway joint having means whereby thenuts of the rail fastening bolts are covered and protected from theweather and from being tampered with and are securely locked on thebolts.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts aswill be more fully described and particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of themeeting ends of two rails showing the application of the invention; Fig.2 is an irregular vertical cross sectional view of the same taken on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view 'of the stationarymember of the joint; and, Fig. 4 is a similar view of the hinged orswinging member of the joint.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the stationary orchair member of the joint, said member comprising a base plate 2 adaptedto engage or rest on the ties and to receive the meeting ends of therails. On the outer edge of the base plate 2' is formed an upwardlyprojecting substantially right angular rail engaging and bracing plate3, the lower portion. 4 of which is adapted to fit over the upper sideof the adjacent base flanges of the rail ends, while the upper portion 5of the plate is adapted to engage the web and under side of the head ofthe rail as shown. The upper portion 5 of the plate is preferably curvedoutwardly as shown thereby forming a trussed brace for the side of therail which will firmly hold the same against upsetting or spreading. Inthe upper bracing portion 5 of the plate are formed a series oftransversely disposed bolt holes 6 which are adapted to receive railfastening bolts hereinafter described.

The base portion 2 of the chair member of the joint is of suflicientwidth to project some distance beyond the opposite side of the rail fromthat with which the brace plate 3 is engaged and the projecting outeredge of the base plate 2 is turned upwardly at a slight angle and hasformed thereon a longitudinally disposed substantially cylindrical ribor bead 7 which forms one member of a hinge connection for the oppositemember of the joint which will be hereinafter more fully described. Onthe head or rib 7 is formed a centrally disposed upwardly projectinglocking stud 8, the purpose of which will also be hereinafter described.In the base plate 2 near the edge of the same having the bead 7 areformed spike holes 9 through which are adapted to be driven spikes forfastening the joint members to the ties. In the opposite side of thebase plate 2 and the adjacent portion 4 of the bracing plate 8 are alsoformed spike holes 10 through which are adapted to be driven spikes forfastening this side of the joint to the ties.

WVith the web on the opposite side of the rail from the bracing plate 3is engaged a fish plate 11, said plate being constructed to closely fitagainst the side of the web and between the head and flange of the rail,as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. In the fish plate 11are formed bolt holes 12 which coincide or register with the bolt holesin the rails and the bolt holes 6 in the bracing portion 5 of the plate3. Through the alined bolt holes 6 and 12 and the coinciding holes inthe webs of the rails are inserted fastening bolts 13 on the ends ofwhich are secured clamping nuts 14, said nuts being screwed up intotight engagement with the fish plate thereby clamping the same and thechair member 1 to the opposite sides of the rail heads.

Operatively engaged with the chair member of the joint is a hinged orswinging member 15 comprising a base portion 16 having formed therein alongitudinally disposed groove 17 which is adapted to hingedly engagethe bead or rib 7 whereby said hinged or swinging member 15 may be swunginto and out of operative engagement with the rail. In the inner wall ofthe groove 17 is formed a segmental notch 18 with which is adapted to beengaged the locking stud 8 on the bead 7 whereby the hinged member 15 isheld against longitudinal movement on the chair member of the joint.When the hinged member 15 of the joint is thus engaged with the rib orbead 7, said member may be swung over into engagement with the adjacentbase flanges of the rail ends and into engagement with the outer side ofthe fish plate 11. The upwardly projecting portion of the member 15 isprovided with a square or flat inner face 19 which fits into closeengagement with the adjacent outer side of the fish plate as shown.

In the fiat inner face 19 of the member 15 are formed verticallydisposed recesses 20 which when said face 19 is swung into engagementwith the fish plate, will engage and fit over the nuts 14 of the railfastening bolts thereby firmly holding said nuts against turning andproject-ing the same from the weather or from being tampered with. Inthe lower or base portion of the member 15 are formed spike holes 21which when themember is in operative position will register with thespike holes 9 in the base plate of the chair member and through saidregistering holes are driven spikes which firmly hold this side of thejoint in place. When the'joint member 16 has thus been secured in place,it will be impossible to remove either member of the joint until thespikes of the member 15 have been drawn and said member swung back onits pivotal connection with the base plate of the chair member. In orderto swing the member 15 back to an inoperative .position for exposing thenuts 14: of the rail fastening bolts, it is first necessary to tip therails and the chair member to one side a sufiicient distance to permitthe outer edge of the base portion of the member 15 to swing downwardly,thus preventing any casual disengagement of the member 15 anddiscouraging any interference with the railv joint by an unauthorizedperson.

The bolt holes in the rails with which the fastening bolts 13 areengaged are of the usual elongated form to provide for the expansion andcontraction of the rail.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the construction and operation of the invention will bereadily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention as defined in theappended claims.

I claim 1. A rail joint comprising a chair or stationary member having abase plate of sufficient width to project beyond the opposite side ofthe base of the rail from that with which the chair member is engaged, aswinging member having a hinged connection 'with the outer edge of saidbase plate, said swinging member having formed therein nut receivingrecesses and fastening bolts arranged through said chair member andadjacent portions of the rail, said bolts having clamping nuts arrangedthereon and engaged by the recesses in said hinged member whereby saidnuts are covered and locked.

2. In a rail joint, a stationary or chair member comprising a railengaging portion and a base plate, said base plate being of sufficientwidth to project beyond the side of the rail, a fish plate arranged onthe opposite side of the rails from the rail engaging portion of thejoint, rail fastening bolts arranged through the'rails and the fishplate and stationary member of the joint, fastening nuts arranged onsaid bolts, a swinging member hingedly connected to the base plate ofsaid stationary member and adapted to be swung into engagement with theadjacent rail flange and fish plate, said swinging member having formedtherein recesses adapted to engage the nuts on said bolts whereby saidnuts are covered and locked.

3. A rail joint comprising a stationary member having a trussed railengaging portion and a base plate, said member having formed thereinspike holes, a fish plate engaged with the opposite side of the railfrom the rail engaging portion,of said stationary joint member, railfastening bolts arranged through the rail engaging p01. tion of saidmember, said fish plate and the web of the rail, fastening nuts arrangedon the bolts, an upwardly projecting longitudinally disposed rib formedon the outer edge of said base plate, said rib forming one member of ahinged connection, a locking stud formed on said rib, a swinging jointmember comprising a base portion having formed therein a longitudinalgroove, and a transverse notch adapted to be engaged with said rib andstud on the base plate of the chair member of the joint whereby saidswinging member is hingedly connected to said chair member, a railengaging portion formed on said hinged member, said portion beingadapted to be swung into engagement with said rail flange and the outerside of said fish plate and having formed therein recesses adapted tofit over the nuts of said rail fastening bolts whereby said nuts arecovered and locked, said rail my hand in presence of two subscribingwitengiagiilng pogtion having formed therein nesses. s ire oles a a tedto re ister with similar h ciles formed iii the base plate of the chairCHARLES LANCASTER member whereby said members may be Witnesses: spikedt0 the ties. M. C. COBLE,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set J. W. BRIMACOMBE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

